Help I Swiped Right - Help I Dated an Olympian!

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

Hello Swipers!Hope you enjoy this weeks episode where I dive into a fun story from my dating past about the time I dated an olympian.I also share your icks and answer your dating dilemmas.Keep the questions and dilemmas coming through! Email [e-mail] or DM me on Instagram HelpISwipedRightIf you are enjoying this podcast, I would be SO grateful if you could write a review on Apple Podcasts or rate the series on Spotify!See you next Sunday for more tales from life on the apps,SJam

Hello and welcome to another episode of Help I Swipe Dry. I'm your host, S-JAM, and every week I'll be exploring the highs and lows on one of their dating culture, sharing fun stories from my dating past and answering your dating questions and dilemmas. This week, we've got an ick special. Thank you so much for sending me your icks. I will be reading those out later on. I thought today I'll start off by diving in to a story from my dating past, one that I teased in episode one actually. So buckle in. Today will be going back to the story time of when I dated an Olympian many, many years ago.

But yeah, I'll be spinning all the tea on that, going into your icks, and of course, answering at least a couple of your dating dilemmas. So let's dive in to the episode. So like I said back in episode one, this podcast is going to be a mixture of things. I am going to be sharing my takes on Monday dating culture for answering your dilemmas. And I'm going to be sharing tales from my dating experience, the highs, the lows, everything in between. And I was inspired to make this podcast because I have got a lot of fun dating stories. from my many, many first dates that I've been on. So this week's story time, let's dive back

way back to when I'm 22 years old and I'm travelling Australia. So I actually found my diary the other day from when I was travelling around Australia. I kept a diary that I wrote in every day and I found it recently and it absolutely cracked me up. The whole thing. like it was so funny I look back at my old self and I'm just like I love you I love her I was having a time such a fun time so yeah love 20 22 year old me um so yeah I'm in Australia I was mainly in Sydney and I was in Sydney for quite a few months and started to make some friends I went to Australia solo and I I remember I started making friends with nannies. I can't remember how I met my first nanny now, but basically I wasn't working in Australia. So I was kind of meeting people that also weren't working.

Or I feel like with nannies, they might have had time if the kids were at school or whatever. I don't know. I just kind of met people to hang around in the day, go on trips with. And I feel like once I made one friend who was a nanny, I was then kind of part of this like Australian nannies network and I just met those people through that. Oh, I remember now how I met the people.

So we're going back now to the original story of how I meet the Olympian. It goes back to me going on a day trip to something called the figure eight pools in Australia. If they're like a natural wonder, they're these pools that are naturally formed in these perfect eight circles. They look like the number eight. Really beautiful and you go for quite a long hike and then you arrive at this beautiful, you know, natural spot. So I did that tour or like a day trip hiking thing and obviously it was by myself. I was solo travelling. So at the designated point in Sydney, CBD, I just struck up conversation with the people that were like at the meeting point. So I'm on this trip. I meet loads of fun

people on this day trip. A few of us, we exchanged numbers and stuff after the trip. So I've now got a few friends to keep doing fun things with in Sydney. One of these girls was a DJ and she was DJing at this club in Sydney, which I wish I could remember the name of now. I'll go back and find out what the name of this club was. But there was a club in Sydney that had like six rooms. One of the rooms was like a rooftop pool. So let's say there's like five rooms in the main club, like all different music, like a really, really big club. And then the roof had a pool. And I think in the daytime, it was like, you know, rooftop bar vibes. But even at night, the rooftop, pool was still open. Anyway, the girl I meet on this trip is like, guys, you should

come to my set. I think she'd get us like free or cheap entry. I can't remember now. And yeah, we went there, saw her like open up the night and then we continue on partying. So now fast forward to we're on the roof and I had took my shoes off and I'm just paddling around in the pool just like dipping my feet in to the pool um loads of people are full on in the pool like literally there are guys and girls just stripped off to their underwear in the pool um i was just at the edge with my friend put our feet in and then i remember laying on the sun loungers um with this friend being really drunk and just chilling so yeah we're we're going between splashing in the pool for a little bit chilling on the sun lounges

This sounds crazy That's why I'm describing it Because can you imagine that In the UK in London There's a club A pool on top And people were just going in there It wasn't for me

To get fully wet Even in my drunken state I thought No I'm not stripping off And getting fully When people were They had towels at the bar

I remember this well And yeah Some people were really In there Including Mr Olympian So So, yeah, on this night out of my friends, and I lock eyes with this guy in the pool. He is in his underwear.

He's fully, like, swimming in the pool. And I'm just at the edge. Anyway, we lock eyes. We must start talking. I can't remember what he says to me exactly, but, you know, he comes over, says, hello. We're chatting. He gets out of the pool. He gets a towel, gets changed.

We then go back into the main club. and I remember dancing in the main club with him and obviously we're talking guys I can't lie I can't remember the chat really it's not very helpful I can't remember like what we talked about per se in the club but I do remember he gets his phone out

and he's like what's your insta he shows me his insta and asks for my Instagram now now in 2025 this might seem like a more normal thing to do I think this seems to be a move that some guys have now, like, what's your Insta? I hate that move personally, but back then, this would have been, like, 2016.

That was quite a weird thing to do. I remember thinking, oh, like, why should show me his Instagram? I didn't really take it in. I was like, oh, okay, cool, like, whatever. Like, it was a little bit unusual. I think that's why I remember it. Anyway, he's then, like, do you want to come back to our house? by art he means him and his manager's house for some food I should say as well yeah in the club

he said we were like talking about what you're doing in Australia blah blah blah he was like I'm an athlete I'm here training because it's like hot weather right now and I'm like at a training camp I was like okay cool um I didn't take it in that he was at this level of being an athlete I just thought I don't know what I thought I was like cool whatever um And he was staying in an Airbnb with his manager. And I met the manager as well. I was there with my girlfriend, like I said. And he was like, you want to come back to mine.

And I was like, maybe. I had to go and ask my friend. I was like, look, can you come with me to their house? Because look, I was not going alone. I've never had a one-night stand before. I'd never gone back to anyone's house before. I was in Australia. I was just like, strange danger.

I don't know why. I thought it was safer to bring this girl with me, but I just thought, I'm not going alone. Thank God. Shout out to this girl. I'm not in touch right anymore, but God bless you. Thank you for coming with me because bless her heart. Basically, also the athlete, he was French. And his manager also was French. The Olympian, he spoke like okay English to the point where we could like converse a little bit. His manager, not a word, not one word of English. And then my friend who was with. She was German and she spoke German and English. So her and the manager didn't have a common language to speak to each other really. Bless their hearts. They were just there.

Sorry, they were like both the third wheels in the situation. But I was like, I have to be a friend of me. So off we go, the four of us, back to their Airbnb. And the Olympian then cooks up an amazing feast for us. It must be like three, four a m at this point. And he's literally cooking like a full meal. I remember this to this day. He's making fresh pasta. He's got a giant piece of ham. You know, those like legs of ham and he's shaving bits of the ham or the full like chef situation going on three, four a.m. We're playing music. We're dancing. He's cooking. The vibes are I'm ready. And the four of us sit down and we have this meal. It was one of the best things I've eaten. Like, yes, I was drunk. But for drunk food, that was unbelievable. Like, guys from up

nationalities, British guys, I'm calling out, do better. This man's going up a storm at 4 a.m. Anyway, he had that going for him. I digress. So, now fast forwarding to the morning, me and my friend leave we scolol and we're having brunch now the next day with some of my friends and I'm telling them all about my night before because I should say it's only at this point on the way home from the Olympian's house but I realize that he is famous and an Olympian and suddenly it all makes sense that as to why he showed me his Instagram I'm so stupid but I'm looking at my phone I'm looking at his Instagram like oh he's got a blue tick and I go for his thing and I'm like oh he's famous he's actually like he

was at the Rio Olympics um he's like legit like a world class athlete why did I not take this in last night um so yeah then we're having brunch of I say brunch you know for 4pm brunch with some more friends the next day and I'm recounting the tale to them and I just I remember saying this to them, guys, I have not felt legs like that before or since. And I meant it. I knew I would never think of that again. The quad muscles out of this world. I'm sitting here now 30 years old.

This was eight years ago. I remember those leg muscles. Unbelievable. Like, I can't describe it. you. If you've not felt an Olympian's legs, you won't know what I'm describing to you, but just pure muscle. And I don't know how you get that amount of muscle. Unreal. Like I said, this is eight years on. And I remember this man's legs. Anyway, I remember that was a really funny brunch, all. Yeah, just recounting the tail. So yeah, then, Mr. Olympian, we go on a few more dates,

whilst we're both in Sydney, obviously I'm travelling and he ended up going somewhere else in Australia as well. We're both not from Australia. We're both in transit. We're just there travelling. And one particular date that I remember, this is the last date I had with him in Australia, because I do see him again, spoiler alert. So, you know, in Sydney, I had a flight booked for Melbourne the next day. And so I meet. him for a daytime date and we're in Bondi just chilling on the beach really fun good vibes he's then like I really want to go to a casino night a casino tonight do you want to come um and I was like oh I don't like I'm not really into gambling I'm not been to a casino before he's like oh you have to you have to

and it's like oh I've got no money like I'm traveling I'm backpacking I don't have money to go to casino he was like do not worry I'm paying for everything he sends me to get an Uber back to mine so as in He lives in Bondi. I live in somewhere else in Sydney. So he's like, go back, let's go back to each of his houses, like, separately, to get changed and everything for the casino. And I'll see you there later. So he sends me, he orders me an Uber to go back to my house. I can get changed the evening. And then we meet again a few hours later at the casino. And it was just such a fun day and night. Like, I, obviously, I was back. packing so I didn't have many opportunities to like dress up or anything um it was just really fun to go on this quite like decadent evening and I had an early morning flight to Melbourne the next day so I was really like oh my gosh I'm going to be out late tonight and then I'm literally getting up at the crack of dawn to catch this flight to Melbourne um and I was traveling with someone else as well I couldn't let them down so um yeah the casino was so much fun he

literally just gave me money to gamble with. He had his own money to gamble with and he just gave me cash to go and get chips and do what I wanted with. We're both at a table, gambling. As when I realised, he has a gambling problem. He definitely, you know, has a gambling addiction, I would say. But, you know, he's rich. It's his money to waste. I think that's fine. Like, it's his choice, his life. Like, do what you've got to do? If you can afford to do this. So we lose everything. There's a point where we're up and I was like, let's get out. Like, we're up.

And he was like, no, no, no, we're lucky. We'll keep going. And I was like, oh, geez, this guy. But I guess that's the fun of it. I'm not a gambler. I don't get it personally. But that is a hobby of his to lose money to give away like hundreds or thousands of Australian dollars.

That's his choice. So he was such a fun time. I had to go. I feel it was like 1, 2 a.m. And I was like, I really have to go. Like, my flight was so early in the morning to Melbourne. He stayed with his, his manager was there too at the poker table, I think. So he went back to his manager. And I was like, you know, had a blast. Like, meeting you and Sydney. Good luck with all you were training and everything. And that's, I was a goodbye. Like, I didn't think I was going to see him again. It's what it's like when you're traveling. You're constantly moving, constantly making new people. I then go to Melbourne where I'm meet Melbourne boy. So that could be another story time, I think. I'll try to keep today's episode just on Olympian. So yeah, that was 2016. Fast forward to the next year, 2017, I'm back in London. And I see Mr. Olympian is up. He's competing in London. at the World Athletic Championships. And from memory, I feel like he messaged me being like, hey, like, I'm in London.

Like, I'm competing. I was like, no way. Like, cool, we'd love to see you. And he was like, yeah, maybe we can. But obviously, like, after I finished, because, you know, you've got to be in the zone. He is competing. He then won the World Championships in London. I'm not going to say the exact sport, again, to keep some form of anonymity.

but he won his category of the world championships in London. It was really cool. He messages me afterwards to be like, hey, I'm going out in London, obviously, to celebrate. There's been a few days later. Are you free to let's come out? Now, this was a weeknight. I had an office job at this moment in time, but I thought to myself, when am I going to ever party with the French athletics team?

I've got to go. So I went. So I meet him at this bar along with the, like the rest of the French athletics team. So we're all there, we're drinking. We go to the club. This is a moment again in my life that I won't forget. This is not a normal moment for me where we're outside the club and they basically go to the front and it's like, don't you know who I am? Moment kind of thing. and again literally like shows the Instagram not just him but like the other athletes and the lady on the door kind of like goes away to talk to someone she's like yeah like come in and we're shown to VIP like it was crazy also I was like why am I here I'm such a beg right now I'm just here with all these athletes like female and male athletes everyone

insane everyone looks amazing and I'm just there as well um the least athletic person in the world but you have such a fun night and I remember as well like people were coming up to us and asking me to take pictures with him like people wanted to get a picture of him because I recognised him I was like this is mad

I feel like in his medal with him as well or maybe okay I don't think he put his medal to the club but I've seen his medal at some point that night maybe beforehand at the bar a few of them had their like gold medals with them and like I tried on the gold medal

and all that stuff and oh it was so fun such a fun night and I'm like I love that I was spontaneous and having fun and doing that back then of course I made it back to my desk finale and the next day I remember this very well as well being super hungover at work but I was 23 22 23 you just crack on you know I was a bit tired but I was high on life from the thrill of the experience of actually seeing the Olympian again. I never thought I would see him again,

but so fun to reconnect when he came back to London. So I think that's all for the story time of the time that dated an Olympian. I guess the takeaways are, yes, professional athletes have insane out of this world muscles. I don't know how you're going to experience that. Do what you've got to do to try and touch an Olympian's leg. I guess is what I'm saying to you.

If the opportunity comes your way, it. Other lessons. Have fun when you're young. I'm still young now. I know that. But I don't know if I'll be gallivanting around in quite the same way now. So I look back at those memories and just think I'm so happy that I was up for doing all that and that I was so spontaneous and that I had the best time because now it's such fun, hilarious memories for me to look back on. So yeah, is my story time. I would love to hear from you guys. Please send me your stories to help I swipe dry at Gmail.com or DM me on Instagram. Help I swipe right. So last week I asked you to send me the funniest reason you got the ick. And this is what you sent in. So kicking off. A really

dumb hat and him not knowing that the flag on the hat was the Canadian flag. Ick. Weak looking ankles. Big it. When he told me he lived at the end of his sister's garden, it's giving worm. Also see episode two where I got the ick from him, St. I live of his parents, same vibes. He was a crane operator. His hands were so soft and delicate with things. The way he held cutlery and shifted the gears of his truck was so feminine, I couldn't look at him the same way anymore. Being the biggest prude outside holding hands was the max PDA he could bear and acting like a 12-year-old and being extremely horny at home the way he walked.

Ugh, it makes me gagged to this day, but he would go, cute, no, every time he saw something I thought was cute. That's an ick. When he said his mum buys his clothes for him, at brackets he was 25, big ick, his mum buying his clothes, no way. He had a skydiving licence and wanted to be a pilot, but it was too scared to don't have to drive, living in London, because driving instructor shouted at him. Ick. He didn't know what optimistic and pessimistic meant, and he had really bad posture.

Big ick. Vaping. Vaping is such an ick, more so than smoking. I don't know why. I think just vaping has a more feminine energy to it and smoking's got more masculine energy but yeah vaping gives me the ick big time seeing anyone like sucking on that little plastic straw it's very unattractive okay more it's let's go I'm just going to reel them off

I've got so many so I'm just rattling my way through them he told me he had a real life superpower and then went on to explain static shock static electricity he was being for real that's hilarious. This man thought he was special, getting static shock.

Bless his soul. He would buy jeans that were too big for him. Bigick. One guy I dated a few years ago for like two months, would always correct me at any time. I said the word dog or dogs. He would say, don't you mean dogos?

No, John, I'm an adult woman. I do not mean dogos. He ran towards a pigeon to scare it and it didn't fly away. That would destroy me That's an ick Even the pigeons don't respect him now Okay

More icks Googling a place to go in the rain Because they didn't book a bar Oh this is bad So yeah they've gone to the date They haven't booked anything They turned up to the bar It's full

And you're now stood there in the rain On Google Maps Trying to find somewhere else to go That's it For sure Small hands Yeah, soz. It's an ick. Saying, saying, hey trouble. Oh, yeah, big, big time it, that. Android phones. Petty, by our super you pety icks. And yeah, it's true. Android phones. I'm an iPhone girl, not afraid to admit it. And yeah, Androids, it's it. Sos, guys, it is. And finally, let's go. to an email I got of an ick. I once went out of a guy who would always wear the same set of

clothes went outside of work, like all the time. He told me that clothings and belongings just weren't something that's important to him, so I didn't know how to politely suggest that buying more clothes a big idea. He was lovely, but there has to be a balance there and taking pride in your appearance should be something. A hundred percent, that's wild, just showed up every day, you've seen him he's wearing the exact same outfit what was the outfit i need more detail like what was he wearing what was the one set of clothes that he owned how was he washing these clothes and drying them in time i've got so many questions but you know all for sustainability saving the planet you know fast fashion you don't want to buy too many clothes i completely get that

but you've got to have a few things on rotation in your wardrobe that's why and that's it. Well, I'm for surviving that. Thank you, everyone, for sending me your icks. I loved reading those. Let me know if any of those resonated with you, and please keep them coming. Like, icks are a thing. We don't want them to be, but they are. I gave myself the ick there for day. I, you guys aren't ready to this. I, so it's an afterwork date. Of course, I've got my laptop with me. Of course. I'm carrying. that in my backpack, my work backpack, naturally. And what are you going to do? Actually, girls, let me know what you do. And guys, maybe you don't want to give yourself the ick wearing a backpack

as well. Like, I know it's not a good look turning up to a date with backpack on. I know it's not sexy. But what I'm meant to do? We're meeting after work. I've got my laptop with me. Hence, I've got a backpack. I just have, okay? And yes, I gave myself the it. from wearing this backpack. You know, we still had a good date, I think. So it didn't ruin things completely, but it's ick. Backpacks are ick. Guys, let me know the icks you get for girls.

So far, everyone writing to me was girls. I do want to hear icks from guys too. I know you get icked out. I know I gave that guy the ick from wearing my backpack. So shout me out your icks. And same for the ladies. Keep the icks coming. They're funny. We need a safe place to share our icks. Nothing is too petty. Nothing is too big.

Sometimes you have to get it off your chest. So yeah, keep sending your icks through to me at help I swiped right at gnoll.com and help I swiped right on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. So I think I've just got time for a couple of dilemmas this week. So let's dive into it, first one. Hello, I'm just looking for some advice. I keep getting ghosted after dates and during the dates. Oh, sorry. Let me start this again. This was not phrased well. Um, I'm looking for some advice. I keep getting ghosted after dates. During the dates, the guys always seem keen and do suggest seeing me again. And then the next day, I get radio silence. I don't usually take it personally. I haven't ghosted six times this year. Oh, that is tricky. And, and I don't usually take it personally. I haven't

ghosted six times this year. Oh, that is tricky. And I think ghosting, it's a real, real epidemic, if that's the right word. It's a real problem. Like, I'm hearing it a lot from girlfriends that they are just getting ghosted. I think it's wrong. Obviously, I've been ghosted myself as well. Not typically after dates sometimes.

Or that's a lot. I have been ghosted after dates. afterdates actually, by some real, real cowardly men. And that's what it is. It's cowardly. It's men that don't have the emotional maturity to simply say, hey, I enjoyed meeting you earlier. Like, it was great to meet you.

However, I don't see this developing any further. Or I don't think I felt a connection, but wishing you all the best. That is all you have to do. It takes one minute to send that. text. It's very simple. And some people out there, men and women, don't have the communication skills or the emotional maturity to do that. Okay? And it's weak. I'm now 30. People that I'm dating are around that age. If you've not able to communicate that and do that, that reflects on you. doesn't reflect on me. So my advice to this person is if you're being ghosted, it is nothing

to do with you. It is only a reflection of them and say to yourself, thank goodness, I would never want to be with someone that has the communication skills of a frog, of a pee. Okay? You need someone who can communicate. You don't want a coward. So all they've done is show you that they're not the one for you. So just keep remembering that. And I think if you do get ghosted, I mean, completely up to you. I think obviously one thing to do is to just leave it, move on.

If it's been a couple of days after that you're not heard from them, you could just send something like this, something like, hey, I enjoyed the date the other day and, you know, I was hoping to see you again. But, you know, we've not been in touch since. so I'm assuming that you don't want to meet again. That's absolutely fine, wishing you all the best. So you have got the option there to be the bigger person

and just to close it off yourself as one way of doing it. And then you know that you have demonstrated good communication skills. Maybe they'll learn from you in the future how to communicate. Or you simply block, delete, move on. In the words of la la la, la, let me explain. Block, delete, move on. If you don't know, if you don't know la la, let me explain, go and check her out like such solid advice. Definitely inspiration of mine. So yeah, block, delete, move on.

Okay, next dilemma. Hey, S-JM, looking for some advice. What are your thoughts on lending your boyfriend money? We're only about a month into our relationship after three months of dating, and he's asked if I could lend him a few hundred dollars for his dental appointment because he doesn't have anywhere close to that amount saved. I'm getting the ick already, girl, but I'll keep reading. I'm just worried. He knows I have more savings than him, and he might start depending on me. I did say yes, but I'm cautious, and have asked him to pay me back, which he agreed to.

He says he's sorry and he's embarrassed, and his only other option was to push the appointment back. But I didn't want him to do that because it's health-related. He also had the option to ask his parents. I feel he didn't try hard enough and he just leaned on me. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Anything I should be aware of or keep in mind. Ugh, girl. I mean, you've already lent him the money now, so it's too late.

I mean, did he give you a time frame as to how he's going to pay you back and when? I've not been in the situation before so it's hard for me to comment but I do have girlfriends who I know have said that they've lent their boyfriend's money to my mind that has never ended well okay I think everyone's in different situations so it's hard for me to speak about that but I'm not into that I can't really see a situation in which a boyfriend would be asking me to lend them money it gives me the ick and three months in

why doesn't you have a few hundred dollars for dental work I mean I'm not in the US I don't really know how it works over there I get that things are really expensive over there like we are lucky to have NHS in the UK So hard for me to comment on this. And I'm trying to think, I mean,

three months into dating, would I lend someone a few hundred pounds if they had to get dentistry work? It's hard. I'm softening a bit now. I can see how if I loved someone and they need medical help, you obviously want to pay for that.

I can see that. It's a real tricky one. I feel like I would need to know, yeah, how and when they were going to pay me back as well and if they didn't pay me back, that could start to cause resentment. Or if your mindset is, I am just super generous, I don't care about being paid back, I want to pay for this because I love him and that's fine, then that's fine as well. So it depends what you're looking for out of the relationship It depends what role you want to play in the relationship

And what role you want him to play in the relationship Um Watch out because I do know of people Where they have lent their boyfriends A lot of money, thousands, you know, over the years And they've broke up and that money has never got back so something to watch out for okay the fact that you've wrote in it's clearly weighing on your mind and has made you feel a bit uncomfortable and you are a bit worried about being used so

yeah stay open I would say don't lend him money again until he pays back what he owes you this time I would love to hear your guys thoughts on this. People might think I'm being really mean here. I think some people are super open with money. And I think, obviously, a long-term partner or a marriage, I feel like then it is very much. Obviously, it's our money. You know, you share a life together. You live together.

Like, there isn't really lending money as such. You, everything is yours. And I completely get that mindset once you're more established. But, oh, yeah, sorry, you're only. a month into your relationship after three months of dating. So I think that is very new. I can't see a situation in which

I would ask someone, I've only known someone for four months, and I'm asking them to lend me a few hundred pounds. I don't think I'd ever do that. You know, didn't he have anyone else that he could go to? He probably does and he's already gone to them in the past and then they trust him anymore.

So watch out. Keep your guards up. Guys, we'd love to hear from you. money dating it's a real difficult one have you got any thoughts on this would love to know as ever you know the email address help i swiped right at gmail.com and instagram help i swiped right dm me on insta let me know your thoughts on this money dilemma right that's all we've got time for today thank you so much for listening to this episode of help i swiped right i've been your host, Sjam. As ever, it's been great. Reading your dilemmas. Thank you for sending those in.

Keep sending them in. I love getting your emails, your DMs. Next week, I will be in Ibiza. I can't wait. So it might be Ibiza special. We'll see what inspiration takes me. Hope you guys have the best week and see you next Sunday.